UCLA Anderson School of Management Blogtag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-941604679566354052017-08-24T11:50:16-07:00TypePadLuis Serrano ('02) Felt Supported While Studying at UCLA Anderson; Now Supports School With Major Gifttag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115710a4d7d970c01b7c9190828970b2017-08-24T11:50:16-07:002017-08-28T11:10:24-07:00by Carolyn Gray Anderson In 2000, Luis Serrano (’02), whose life and business were comfortably established in his native Spain, matriculated to UCLA Anderson — with every intention of earning his MBA in the U.S. and resuming his career in Europe. But on his first day of class, he found...UCLA Anderson

by Carolyn Gray Anderson

In 2000, Luis Serrano (’02), whose life and business were comfortably established in his native Spain, matriculated to UCLA Anderson — with every intention of earning his MBA in the U.S. and resuming his career in Europe. But on his first day of class, he found himself in an orientation event sitting next to an outgoing American named May Hasso (’02). Students were each asked to introduce the classmate beside him or her, and Luis fumbled through what he remembers as an earnest introduction in which he complimented May’s beauty.

“I was very wet behind the ears as far as U.S. social conventions,” he confesses. But if his gallantry that day was on the effusive side, it broke the ice for a relationship that led to their marriage in 2003. “You have to be open to what’s in front of you,” he says about his decision to change his life’s plan.

Luis describes May as extremely bright, lively and social. In 2010 they founded the aptly named Sunshine Retirement Living, a boutique management company for senior housing communities, now thriving with 800 employees and 20 locations in eight states across the country. She assumed the helm as CEO, he served as president.

UCLA Anderson remained an integral part of the Serranos’ personal and professional lives beyond that first day of orientation. Luis, who serves on the board of the Harold and Pauline Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, says that Senior Associate Dean Al Osborne was particularly encouraging of his entrepreneurial interests as a student. He and his best friend Zach Sterngold (’02) attempted to launch a business together while they were still in school. Throughout the process, Serrano felt supported at Anderson, and persevered in applying his b-school training to his entrepreneurial endeavors. “Everything I learned about structuring deals and leveraging assets, I use every day in leading a company,” he says.

Sadly, in July 2014, May Hasso Serrano was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer just two weeks before giving birth to a son. She passed away in May 2015, survived by Luis and their three children, Ava Noelle (10), Luis James (8) and Sawyer Alexander (2). The numerous friends the couple made in those formative years at Anderson also formed part of their support network. “We made amazing connections here that will last a lifetime,” says Luis. “We had a lot of fun and it’s where we met so many friends in common.”

Luis, his four children and his close family have decided to acknowledge the significance of UCLA Anderson in their lives with a $1 million gift. He will honor his late wife with the May Hasso Serrano Classroom, located in the new Marion Anderson Hall, which is scheduled to break ground in fall 2017.

Luis says that well before May became ill he felt compelled to give his time and financial support to Anderson. Afterward, he was inspired by the generous example set by Marion Anderson and considered the building that will bear her name a fitting place to pay tribute to May. Luis chose an active learning space that accommodates 90 people because it will reflect May’s sociability and love of learning and collaboration.

Luis believes the new state-of-the art building represented the best way to honor May’s memory because it’s such a visible testament to the Anderson ethos of sharing success. This is the first naming opportunity to be claimed in Marion Anderson Hall and Luis hopes that his family’s gift will inspire other alumni to give as well.

He didn’t make his decision alone. Motivating him were fellow Anderson alumni and supportive colleagues and family. Among those in his close circle was May’s good friend Lindsey Hassen, with whom May managed a Westwood boutique after graduating from Anderson. Lindsey later worked with May at the rapidly growing Sunshine Retirement Living. Lindsey became Lindsey Serrano when she married Luis in 2016 — a chapter of the story Luis feels was written by a higher power. In March 2017, Luis and Lindsey felt blessed to add a fourth child to their family, their son Blake Grayson.

“May always looked at life with a different sensitivity than the rest of us,” Luis says, as he recalls how he once again opened himself up to what was in front of him. “She wanted us to move on and be happy. And she would have loved to have a permanent imprint on the school.”

Luis learned from Marion Anderson’s example to support efforts that “make sure future generations have an even better experience than you had.”

Luis cherishes his memories of those early years following his arrival in the U.S., but he says today’s joy with life and family inspired him to make this gift.

Follow Us:

From Graduation to Head of Global Diversity at Mattel in Just Two Short Yearstag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115710a4d7d970c01b8d29b8afd970c2017-07-31T16:21:33-07:002017-07-31T16:21:20-07:00Jessica Kimball (’15) was recently named head of global diversity at Mattel, after working with the legendary company for just two years. Alumna Bhavna Sivanand (’14), UCLA Anderson’s director of Impact@Anderson, caught up with her to learn more about her promotion. Q: First and foremost, congratulations! We should know a...UCLA Anderson

Jessica Kimball (’15) was recently named head of global diversity at Mattel, after working with the legendary company for just two years. Alumna Bhavna Sivanand (’14), UCLA Anderson’s director of Impact@Anderson, caught up with her to learn more about her promotion.

Q: First and foremost, congratulations! We should know a bit about where you come from. What is your background?

Thank you, Bhavna. The core tenets of diversity and inclusion have always been important to me and, whether I was aware of it or not, I have always worked to help level the playing field, giving those from underrepresented backgrounds a better chance of achieving their goals. Between graduating from Yale and attending UCLA Anderson, I ran my own college admissions consulting company, helping students prepare for and apply to college. My students came from culturally and economically diverse backgrounds, and within those five years we helped students throughout America, as well as from international locales such as Spain, Turkey and Hong Kong. What I loved most about that experience was helping my students grow, not just as students, but as young and driven changemakers.

Q: You were a star leader while you were at Anderson. You created the Anderson Student Association position VP of diversity and inclusion. What were some of your most meaningful experiences at Anderson?

My favorite part about Anderson was meeting so many amazing people! My classmates were all so brilliant and inspiring, and I felt that the best way I could contribute to Anderson was by serving my classmates however I could. It was an honor to be chosen as first-year Section B president (shout-out to the BEST SECTION EVER!).

As my second year approached, I knew I wanted to join ASA but the specific issues I wanted to tackle weren’t officially addressed by the ASA roles at the time. I wanted to focus on increasing our diversity and inclusion efforts from the student perspective, so I created the ASA VP of diversity and inclusion role and worked with Kimberly Freeman, assistant dean of diversity initiatives and community relations, to outline the responsibilities. Most of the first year as ASA VP of D&I revolved around working with our various professional and identity clubs such as Black Business Students Association and Women’s Business Connection to increase our diversity programming. We had quite a few big wins that first year, but the initiative that was the most meaningful to me during my time at Anderson was starting FIRESIDE, a biweekly TED-like speaker series in which Anderson students, faculty and alumni came together to share their inspiring personal and professional stories. I still get chills and a little teary-eyed when I think back to some of the FIRESIDE stories told by my classmates. It’s one thing to “teach” what diversity and inclusion are, but I strongly believe that one of the best ways to really understand the importance of D&I is to learn from diverse perspectives and to hear stories told directly by the people who have experienced them.

Q: Tell us about your career at Mattel and what led you to your current role.

I had never worked in human resources before my MBA internship at Mattel, and if it hadn’t been for my Emily Taylor, my Parker Career Center advisor, I might not have considered HR as the next step in my career. Thank you, Emily, for helping me realize that strategic HR was the perfect way for me to combine my love for addressing large, strategic questions while still focusing on people development.

For my first one-and-a half years as a full-time employee at Mattel, I spent most of my time in talent management, leading the development of our new global succession and workforce planning model, and in talent acquisition, leading the MBA recruiting program. But all the while, I also spent about a quarter of my time leading our employee resource groups within our office of diversity and inclusion. By always having a hybrid D&I role, I could consistently think about how our diversity initiatives factored into our leadership planning and recruiting efforts. With mentorship from both the chief HR office and the former head of diversity and inclusion, I was able to learn so much so quickly, ultimately preparing me for my current role.

Q: What does this position as head of global diversity and inclusion mean to you personally?

What excites me most about leading global diversity and inclusion at Mattel is the level of impact we can have on how the next generation sees the world. As our communities become more and more diverse, Mattel can help teach the importance of inclusion. I am proud to work with our Mattel leaders and my team of employee resource group leaders to do whatever we can to help shape a more inclusionary mindset.

Q: Would you call diversity a social impact issue?

Absolutely! Diversity in all forms (race, culture, gender, sexual orientation and even professional experience and education) contributes to a more representative perspective, no matter the question at hand. How can we expect to solve our largest social problems, like educational and economic disparity, without leaders who have come from diverse backgrounds? To increase diversity in education and in the workplace, focus on diversity and inclusion needs to be everyone’s responsibility in an organization and not just the responsibility of one team or a few interested stakeholders.

Q: Looking back at your time at Anderson, do you have any advice for our incoming class?

You will be extremely busy during business school, but be sure to take time throughout your experience to stop and reflect on your life goals, both professional and personal, to help guide you and to remind you of all the amazing things that you’ve already accomplished! Not sure what your life goals are at this moment? No worries; take time this summer to think about who you are, who you want to become and what’s important to you in life, and you’ll already be off to a great start before you even step foot onto the Anderson campus.

Q: When you’re not busy advancing your career and your causes, what keeps you entertained?

Adventures with my girlfriend, exploring L.A. with friends and family, Orange is the New Black, Game of Thrones, taking classes on Coursera and thinking about working out.

Entrepreneur-in-Residence Glen Warren Shares Success as a Leader and a Team Playertag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115710a4d7d970c01b8d293e8f5970c2017-07-07T10:11:27-07:002017-07-07T10:11:17-07:00By Constance M. Kleinert (’17) Just a few weeks after taking his latest company public, Glen Warren (’89) returned to UCLA Anderson in late May as an entrepreneur-in-residence at the Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Warren is the president, CFO and a director of Antero Resources, an independent oil...UCLA Anderson

By Constance M. Kleinert (’17)

Just a few weeks after taking his latest company public, Glen Warren (’89) returned to UCLA Anderson in late May as an entrepreneur-in-residence at the Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Warren is the president, CFO and a director of Antero Resources, an independent oil and gas exploration and production company. Since co-founding the company in 2002, Warren has helped grow Antero into one of the largest natural gas producers in the United States. He and his partner, Paul M. Rady, took Antero Resources (NYSE: AR) public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2013, Antero Midstream (NYSE: AM) public in 2014 and Antero Midstream GP (NYSE: AMGP) public in May 2017. After three IPOs in three and half years, the Antero family now has a combined enterprise value of roughly $18 billion.

Warren spent his visit sharing insights and answering questions about his experiences in the fields of energy, finance and entrepreneurship. As a second-year student entering the energy industry after graduation, I saw it as a fantastic opportunity to talk directly and candidly with an industry leader who was able to use his Anderson MBA as a launch pad for his career. At a working lunch session with students in the Anderson Venture Accelerator, Warren talked openly about his experiences starting, growing and managing businesses, including how to work effectively with private equity sponsors, when and how to execute a successful IPO, and what it takes to lead a large company with 500 employees.

Throughout the day, Warren stressed the importance of finding the right partners, particularly those that have complementary skills and backgrounds. His co-founder is a geologist, while Warren has a strong finance background (he worked on Wall Street for 10 years after Anderson). “Working collaboratively alongside someone that not only knew and understood the technical side of the business but that was a good leader and team player really made a great impact on our success,” noted Warren. Including their previous work experience, Warren and Rady have worked together for more than 20 years.

The ability to build a well-rounded team is an essential skill that all leaders must possess, as Warren’s successful career in the energy industry over the last 20 years clearly shows. This point was particularly timely for me as I reflect on the time I’ve spent with my Anderson learning team over the last two years. My team members comprise many different backgrounds and experiences: Our pre-Anderson careers range from software sales in the Bay Area to working at the Central Bank of South Korea to piloting helicopters for the U.S. Marine Corps. Our strengths and perspectives have not only made our team more effective and successful, they also broadened our individual skill sets.

Follow Us:

UCLA Anderson Board of Advisors Member Jamie McCourt Appointed U.S. Ambassador to Belgiumtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115710a4d7d970c01b8d28f8ac9970c2017-06-23T11:51:59-07:002017-06-23T11:51:32-07:00UCLA Anderson Board of Advisors member Jamie McCourt was appointed by President Donald Trump as the United States ambassador to Belgium. The official announcement was made by the White House Office of the Press Secretary. McCourt is a Los Angeles-based business leader focused on sports, entertainment, education and philanthropy. Her...UCLA Anderson
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><a class="asset-img-link" style="float: left;" href="http://blogs.anderson.ucla.edu/.a/6a0115710a4d7d970c01b8d28f8b66970c-pi"><img class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a0115710a4d7d970c01b8d28f8b66970c img-responsive" style="width: 190px; margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px; padding: 5px 15px 10px 0px;" title="Jamie McCourt" src="http://blogs.anderson.ucla.edu/.a/6a0115710a4d7d970c01b8d28f8b66970c-200wi" alt="Jamie McCourt" /></a>UCLA Anderson Board of Advisors member Jamie McCourt was appointed by President Donald Trump as the United States ambassador to Belgium. <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/06/22/president-donald-j-trump-announces-intent-nominate-personnel-key" rel="noopener" target="_blank" title="President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts">The official announcement was made by the White House Office of the Press Secretary</a>.</p>
<p>McCourt is a Los Angeles-based business leader focused on sports, entertainment, education and philanthropy. Her company, Jamie Enterprises, principally invests in high-value real estate, biotechnology ventures and technology startups. McCourt was an early-stage investor in ZipCar, now the nation’s largest peer-to-peer car sharing service. More recently, she was one of the first investors in Kite Pharma, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company that went public in record time. McCourt is also an investor in a variety of culinary ventures, including Bouchon of the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group.</p>
<p>From 2004 to 2012, McCourt was co-owner, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers. She was the highest-ranking woman in baseball and one of the few female executives in all of professional sports. In addition to setting club attendance records and winning back-to-back division titles for the first time in 30 years, under her leadership the Dodgers returned to profitability.</p>
<p>McCourt is a pioneer in the field of business education. Her ground-breaking class at UCLA Anderson, The Pursuit of Leadership: A Female Perspective, which she taught from 2005 to 2011, was the first accredited graduate-level leadership course specifically designed for women at a leading U.S. business school. She joined UCLA Anderson Board of Advisors (then Board of Visitors) in 2007.</p>
<p>All ambassadorial appointments are subject to confirmation by the United States Senate.</p>
<p><em>Read the official announcement&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/06/22/president-donald-j-trump-announces-intent-nominate-personnel-key" rel="noopener" target="_blank" title="President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts">here</a>.</em></p>
<div style="width: 520px; height: 50px; padding: 5px 0; margin: 0; background-color: #f4f4f4; border-top: 1px solid #e4e4e4;">
<div style="width: 200px; float: left; clear: right; padding: 15px 0 0 20px; font-family: 'Verdana', Arial, sans-serif; color: #666; font-size: 14px;">Follow Us:</div>
<div><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/edu/ucla-anderson-school-of-management-17951" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="padding-right: 0px; margin-right: 10px;" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/Images/areas/prg/mba/2014/home_icon_linkedin.png" alt="" width="45" height="45" /></a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/UCLAAnderson" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="padding-right: 0px; margin-right: 10px;" target="_blank"><img src="http://anderson.ucla.edu/Images/areas/prg/mba/2016/essentials-youtube-circle-icon.png" alt="" width="45" height="45" /></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/uclaanderson" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="padding-right: 0px; margin-right: 10px;" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/Images/areas/prg/mba/2014/home_icon_tw.png" alt="" width="45" height="45" /></a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/uclaanderson" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="width: 45px; height: 45px; margin-right: 10px; padding-right: 0px;" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/Images/areas/prg/mba/2014/home_icon_fb.png" alt="" width="45" height="45" /></a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/uclaanderson/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="padding-right: 0px; margin-right: 10px;" target="_blank"><img src="http://anderson.ucla.edu/Images/areas/prg/mba/2014/essentials-insta-circle-icon.png" alt="" width="45" height="45" /></a></div>
</div></div>
Intrepid’s Jim Freedman (’78) Finds Inspiration in Entrepreneurs, Inspires Others to Give Back to UCLA Andersontag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115710a4d7d970c01b7c8fbffe8970b2017-05-30T13:38:51-07:002017-05-25T17:33:38-07:00Left to right: Senior Associate Dean Al Osborne, Karine Joret, Jim Freedman, Dean Judy Olian, Price Center Executive Director Elaine Hagan ('91) Enjoy more photos of the James B. Freedman Pitch Deck ribbon cutting By Carolyn Gray Anderson On May 4, 2017, UCLA Anderson proudly cut the ribbon on the...UCLA Anderson

On May 4, 2017, UCLA Anderson proudly cut the ribbon on the new James B. Freedman Pitch Deck, which resides within the walls of the recently constructed UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator. Wielding the scissors was Freedman himself, with family and an esteemed group of friends looking on. The ceremony marked another chapter in a long and mutually beneficial relationship between Freedman and his b-school alma mater.

Jim Freedman (’78) is managing director, chairman and founding principal of Intrepid, a Los Angeles-based investment banking firm. Senior Associate Dean Al Osborne — Freedman’s former professor and mentor to this day, alongside whom he’s served on the board of the Harold and Pauline Price Center for Entrepreneurship and & Innovation since 1993 and UCLA Anderson’s Board of Advisors since 2001 — recently remarked to Freedman: “‘Intrepid’ is apt. It’s the nature of your success.”

Dean Judy Olian added: “If our students and alumni seek a prime example of continued engagement with UCLA Anderson, they need look no further than Jim Freedman.” He has given his time, advice and financial support since shortly after his graduation from Anderson.

Since Freedman walked into Osborne’s microeconomics class in 1976, he has gained more than 30 years of investment banking and corporate finance experience. He is an expert in the financial aspects of corporate strategy and has acted as the principal financial advisor in hundreds of capital raisings and mergers and acquisitions transactions ranging in value from $20 million to $1 billion.

“I was a finance major at Anderson and in my second year I interviewed for financial analyst positions at large institutions,” he recalls. But Freedman says he felt something “disingenuous” about working in a big firm. He describes a moment of crisis that saw him sequestered in the library for four hours, during which he says he became “introspective about what I liked and what I was good at. It was a momentous time, very revealing.”

He mapped out the criteria that would govern his future career decisions.

“I decided I wanted to take more risk with a smaller company. I wanted to work in finance because I had the talent for it. I wanted to work on a close-knit team with people I enjoy and I knew I wanted the chance to make money for the first time.” He accepted a position at a smaller firm, where he became vice president in charge of corporate development and a commercial lending division.

But Freedman’s entrepreneurial instincts soon led him off the traditional corporate path.

In 1982, he founded Barrington Associates. “It was the hardest thing I’d ever done,” he says. It took seven or eight years before the company showed sufficient profits for success. Despite setbacks, he persisted in believing he could succeed because, as he says, “Failure would have meant going to work for a big firm.”

He sold Barrington Associates to Wells Fargo Securities in 2006. Then came Intrepid, whose raison d’être is to honor the value and hard work of entrepreneurs in their biggest sale or financing transactions.

“I am constantly inspired by the enthusiasm, perseverance and success of entrepreneurs,” says Freedman, whose philanthropy and board service reach across education, cancer research and environmental conservation. As Osborne says, “The quality of the donor is as important as the amount of the donation.”

Freedman enjoys a 40-year relationship with his first professor at UCLA Anderson, a connection that plays a crucial part in cultivating his loyalty. Freedman also believes fundamentally in supporting the kind of research and education that lead to next-level thinking. The school’s centers of excellence, like Price, are intermediaries between students and industry, with resources and programming worthy of funding. He is motivated by the fact that UCLA Anderson is self-supporting.

He speaks with great humility about the late Marion Anderson’s transformative gift to the school. “We may not have $100 million,” he says of himself and fellow alumni, “but what can we do to give back? Innovation and entrepreneurship separate the U.S. from the rest of the world. I hinge a lot of hope on the Anderson Venture Accelerator as the birthplace of the best new ideas.”

It’s fair to say UCLA Anderson is still influencing Freedman’s life and professional decisions. “I’d been wrestling for a while,” Freedman says. “I wanted to give a bigger gift to Anderson. As soon as I made that commitment I felt really good. It’s extremely energizing.”

The James B. Freedman Pitch Deck is so named because Freedman’s donation will support programmatic and strategic operating efforts in the Anderson Venture Accelerator and provide students the tools they need to incubate game-changing organizations. He admits, “The name really grabbed me. I’ve had to pitch my whole life! It’s a valuable skill.”

Jim Freedman’s gift to the UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator is part of UCLA Anderson’s $300 million Into The Next campaign. This campaign is part of the university’s broader $4.2 billion Centennial Campaign, which culminates in 2019 with the 100th anniversary of UCLA’s founding. Learn more at anderson.ucla.edu/give.

Follow Us:

Sherry Lansing: Trailblazer for Women in Film and Philanthropytag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115710a4d7d970c01b8d28546c4970c2017-05-26T09:00:00-07:002017-05-23T14:26:34-07:00By Isha Patel As the first female studio head in the film industry, former CEO of Paramount Pictures turned philanthropist Sherry Lansing was the perfect guest in the most recent Center for Global Management Robertson Lecture Series, which features local and global business leaders. Dean Judy Olian led Lansing in...UCLA Anderson

By Isha Patel

As the first female studio head in the film industry, former CEO of Paramount Pictures turned philanthropist Sherry Lansing was the perfect guest in the most recent Center for Global Management Robertson Lecture Series, which features local and global business leaders. Dean Judy Olian led Lansing in a discussion about Lansing’s life and influences, and how her career choices have led to her tremendous success.

Lansing attributes some of her success to her upbringing. For part of her life, Lansing was raised solely by her mother, who learned how to run a real estate business and support her family after her husband’s tragic death. From her mother, Lansing learned to “never be a victim and believe that you can do anything.” It was with this tenacity and self-confidence that Lansing went on to become an outstanding leader in the film industry.

When she first moved to California, Lansing wanted to become an actress because she “didn’t think there was any other way to get into the film industry.” However, after realizing acting was not for her, Lansing worked in several positions, including a stint as script reader at MGM and, later on, as senior vice president of production at Columbia Pictures.

Finally, her passions led her to 20th Century Fox, where, in 1980, she became the first female head of a major Hollywood studio. Building on this momentum and working toward her ultimate goal to become a producer, Lansing left 20th Century Fox in 1992 and became the CEO and chairman of Paramount Pictures. During her time at Paramount, she helped produce several notable films, including Forrest Gump, Titanic and Braveheart.

Aside from her stellar Hollywood career, Lansing is known for her active philanthropy. In 2005, Lansing founded the Sherry Lansing Foundation to raise awareness and funding for cancer research, a move inspired by her mother’s death from ovarian cancer in 1984. Lansing has also founded the EnCorps STEM Teachers Program, which trains and recruits professionals in the STEM field to become educators in underprivileged communities. Currently, she is a Regent of the University of California and sits on the board of several organizations, including the American Red Cross and Teach for America.

After reflecting on her career and life, Lansing admits that she realized early on that she could not have everything in life all at once. She was committed to her work, so she focused on her career first, and then had a family when she married her second husband in 1991. For those who follow in her footsteps, she advises, “Life is about choices, and just make sure that whatever choices you’re making, you’re making because of your authentic self. You’ll never regret them, but just make sure you’re not doing it for someone else.”

The Future Must Be More Femaletag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115710a4d7d970c01b8d27eb1fb970c2017-05-04T10:00:00-07:002017-05-03T16:52:57-07:00By Sana Rahim (FEMBA ’19) A couple of weeks ago, I attended the Embodied Leadership Workshop for Women at UCLA Anderson with Suzanne Roberts, founder of Unifying Solutions. The four-hour workshop was a crash course on the history of gender inequity, and Suzanne shared powerful strategies and exercises for women...UCLA Anderson

By Sana Rahim (FEMBA ’19)

A couple of weeks ago, I attended the Embodied Leadership Workshop for Women at UCLA Anderson with Suzanne Roberts, founder of Unifying Solutions. The four-hour workshop was a crash course on the history of gender inequity, and Suzanne shared powerful strategies and exercises for women to thrive in the workplace.

The most boggling statistic she shared during the session was that girls’ confidence peaks when they are in about the fourth grade. According to Dr. Robin F. Goodman of the New York University Child Study Center, “Girls’ self-esteem peaks when they are nine years old, then takes a nose dive.”

So often, gender inequality is thought of as an intangible force that somehow holds women back. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that these forces are not mystical remnants of the past. There are structural and embedded boundaries that limit a woman’s viability for the C-suite over time, and these boundaries are starting to affect women at a younger and younger age. It is important for women to educate themselves on the subtle and not-so-subtle forces that are molding us to shy away from leadership opportunities and industries that have typically been dominated by men.

What is maybe more alarming is that these boundaries don’t always originate from men. A recent study published by the Academy of Management Journal showed that white male executives aren’t rewarded for valuing diversity, and that female leaders who value diversity in the workplace are actually penalized with poor performance reviews. This leaves women, particularly minority women, in a conundrum. Once you’ve reached success, how do you help other capable and competent women move up without risking your own career?

Gender equity is a complex and challenging topic. But it is clear that businesses without women in the C-suite are less profitable than those that include them. Researchers at the Peterson Institute found that the presence of women in corporate leadership positions is linked to better firm performance. The study showed that going from zero women in corporate leadership to a 30 percent female share is associated with a 1 percent increase in net margin, which is typically a 15 percent increase in profitability for a firm.

Although women make up 40 percent of MBA graduates and 40 percent of managers, they still constitute only 15 percent of the C-suite. We should all ask ourselves: What boundaries or biases are affecting my company’s ability to retain talented women or keep them from moving up?

Eighty-five percent of corporate executives and board members are white men. The only way to solve the problem is to recognize that you have one.

UCLA Anderson Alumnus Joby Branion Grooms Athletes at Their Career Apex — and for the Transition to the Rest of Their Livestag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115710a4d7d970c01b8d265174f970c2017-02-27T11:19:19-08:002017-02-27T11:21:01-08:00Joby Branion (J.D./MBA ’95) studied law and management at UCLA, then began a career in transactional law. An old college buddy tipped him off to an opportunity to meet and possibly work with legendary sports agent Leigh Steinberg, who inspired the character Tom Cruise portrayed in Jerry Maguire. Branion joined...UCLA Anderson

Joby Branion (J.D./MBA ’95) studied law and management at UCLA, then began a career in transactional law. An old college buddy tipped him off to an opportunity to meet and possibly work with legendary sports agent Leigh Steinberg, who inspired the character Tom Cruise portrayed in Jerry Maguire. Branion joined Steinberg’s firm and later he founded Athletes First in 2001. That company ultimately was ranked by Forbes #2 on their Most Valuable NFL Agency list in 2014. Branion is the founder of Vanguard Sports Group, a company created “based upon the principle that agents have deep obligations to fulfill to their clients — to support, to guide, to counsel and, ultimately, to empower each individual throughout every phase of their careers. These obligations extend well beyond the traditional negotiation of contracts for a fee.” Vanguard’s clients include the Denver Broncos’ Von Miller, who was named the Most Valuable Player in the 2016 Super Bowl.

Q: How did you switch from a career as an entertainment lawyer and executive to representing athletes as a sports agent?

I went to law school and business school while at UCLA and then I started practicing law right there in Westwood at a multifaceted firm that did litigation and transactional work. I was on the transactional side doing both general corporate stuff and some entertainment stuff. The reality is that while I was compensated very well, I just didn’t feel the intrinsic reward out of my day-to-day job. After a year, I got a call from my old college roommate who happened to also be a UCLA law graduate and he knew someone who was looking to hire somebody to help represent professional athletes. That person ended up being Leigh Steinberg, and Leigh was, at the time, at the top of his game. He had Steve Young, Warren Moon, Troy Aikman, Bruce Smith, Derrick Thomas — along with a significant baseball practice.

I did some research into Leigh and got an idea of the things that he stood for: primarily making clients understand that they’re role models whether they like it or not. He drove home the importance of giving back to the community that shaped their lives and it just seemed to me to be more of a real commitment to the person as opposed to just the athlete. So, I went and had a few interviews and then decided to cast my lot in that direction.

Q: Would you please describe your role, your job, as a sports agent?

If you were going to ask six different agents, you might get six different responses.

The basic common denominator is we’re responsible for negotiating playing contracts. We are an extension of the client with respect to negotiation with their teams, or with the team that they end up signing a playing contract with. At a bare minimum that’s what an agent is, and different agents go from there and expand out differently.

Branion was hired — and inspired — early in his career by legendary sports agent Leigh Steinberg

Over the years, I’ve learned a lot and I can honestly say that working with Leigh at the top of the food chain for those first five or so years of my career taught me about the different roles that the agent does play, the different roles that an agent can play. I learned what worked and then I left and co-founded Athletes First, which has become one of the most powerful football representation groups in the business. Again, I learned a lot by building that company from scratch to where it is today and then two years ago starting my own firm.

I wear multiple hats. I am clearly the agent with respect to negotiating contracts, whether it’s playing contracts, marketing deals, endorsement deals and so on. I am also the primary guide for the players throughout their professional career, because it’s not just about negotiating deals, it’s about trying to position yourself into situations where you can be successful. The best offer financially isn’t always the best direction for the player, depending on what the player’s strong suit is, depending on what their talents are, depending on where they are in their careers. It’s not just about chasing the dollar, it’s about chasing the fit, the opportunity to continue to succeed.

I have always believed that this whole professional athlete thing is nothing but a big transition in your life. I tell all of my clients, “Retirement is batting a thousand.” Even if you’re fortunate enough to play for 15 years, you’re still only going to be 37 or 38 when you change directions dramatically in your life. And if you’re not prepared for that then you’re going to have problems.

I try to make these young men understand right from the beginning this thing isn’t going to last forever, this is a transition from a college campus into the pros as a rookie. There’s a transition from rookie to veteran, there’s a transition from veteran to the end of your career as well, and it’s my view that the agent’s role ought to be that of a confidant and consigliere, someone who is going to give real honest feedback and guidance on and off the field throughout the career.

I have three young boys myself. If any of them happen to be good enough to be professional athletes, how would I want them represented, how would I want them treated, what services would I want them to have, what resources would I want at their disposal and what types of people would I want around them? That’s what I’ve tried to create with Vanguard. I would not want my son lied too, I would not want my son told that he’s the greatest thing in the world when in fact there are many things he needs to improve on. That’s sort of a disrespectful way to represent someone and, unfortunately, that is more common than anything, not only in my business, but with a lot of people that surround these young men during their professional years. I think anybody that’s good at this job looks at those players as human beings who are transitioning from professional athlete to the rest of their lives. I want them all to get to the end of their careers with their education, with a Rolodex of relationships and some experiences that put them in a position to be able to be ready to transition on to the rest of their lives, which will hopefully be another 50-plus years without ever wearing a shoulder pad and helmets.

Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller is a client of Vanguard Sports Group

Q: What lessons still inform your work or life from your UCLA days?

Business school really help me understand that there will always be other people out there that will have talents stronger than yours, and I learned how to do things in group settings. I could, I paired myself with folks that had strengths where I had weakness and I could complement their weakness with my strengths.

One thing that is different from general law school experience versus a business school experience is that in law school there is a hyper-fixation just on grades as the sole marker for success. In business school most students have already gone out in the real world and then come back to school. So they had a chance to identify different criteria for success. There’s project success, there is relationship success, there are all these different ways you can succeed that have nothing to do with getting a grade on an exam. There are a lot of other ways to find success and there are team successes, not just individual success. I really feel like that all sort of got galvanized during my experience at Anderson, I have a lot of relationships that I still maintain to this day from the experiences I had at Anderson.

Q: How do you recruit clients? How do you separate your company from your competitors?

I think we’re unique in the space because the focus is truly on empowering the client. You empower clients by educating them, by being honest and having the clients understand that this is, again, just part of the transition into the rest of your life.

What we do differently is provide a real holistic approach to representation. We understand the importance of embracing the individual athlete as a potential brand; every single athlete is a brand, and branding is very different than marketing. Marketing is a component of branding, endorsements are a component of branding, but you’ve got to incorporate public relations, you’ve got to incorporate your charitable efforts, you’ve got to make it fit who you are.

We aren’t so big that we can’t focus on each individual client in the way that they deserve and we have real professionals who have experienced success in public relations, not just somebody who was an intern who is now our PR director. We have people that understand PR strategizing proactively and reactively, we have marketing professionals who have been successful at marketing and endorsements and negotiating those deals and being creative with those deals as opposed to people who, again, are interns who now have a title director of marketing but have really never done anything other than work in one place.

We have success coaching available for our clients with a psychologist who understands the special stresses that high-profile athletes encounter during their careers, sometimes the result of a crisis.

Your personal life and your professional life as sn athlete are inextricably entwined and to pretend that they’re not is a problem. So everything that impacts your personal life extends into your professional performance, and you are paid to perform. We surround our players with real professionals who stay in their lanes, who treat our clients the way we’d want our own kids to be treated, who them the best possible information and guidance throughout their careers, which most agents don’t do.

We also reinvest in our clients in ways that other agents don’t do. We’ll pay for things like off-season training, not just leading into the draft (which almost everybody does), but that second year, that third year. Why? Because when you get to that next deal you’ll have more value.

In this business now there’s a lot of fee cutting, a lot of agents just slash their fees to try and entice clients to come with them. I’m not going to cut my fees, I’m going to earn my fees; and for football it’s only three percent, basketball and baseball are four or five percent, and anyone that’s doing their job, if they’re not adding at least three to four to five percent of value, you probably don’t want them anyway. You get what you pay for. Anybody that’s cutting their fees by definition is now cutting back on the resources they have available to apply in representing you. So, I guess that’s sort of my elevator pitch. We’re going to treat you very differently than everybody else.

Follow Us:

AT&T’s Cynt Marshall Is a Leader in “Leading with Values”tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115710a4d7d970c01bb0976f1e5970d2017-02-09T08:35:47-08:002017-02-09T09:26:56-08:00View the full gallery of photos from Velocity By Carolyn Gray Anderson She’s spent her 36-year career with AT&T, holding the title of SVP of human resources and chief diversity officer since 2015; but it wasn’t the telecommunications field or the company, specifically, that ignited Cynthia “Cynt” Marshall’s early passion....UCLA Anderson

She’s spent her 36-year career with AT&T, holding the title of SVP of human resources and chief diversity officer since 2015; but it wasn’t the telecommunications field or the company, specifically, that ignited Cynthia “Cynt” Marshall’s early passion. Marshall’s passion is simply what she brings to whatever she does, wherever she goes — to work, to higher education, to her son’s swim meet, to surviving colon cancer and, last week, to a stage at UCLA Anderson in front of 400 people she literally brought to their feet.

Introduced by Anderson Women board member and Velocity conference co-chair Sherry Jackman (’10), Marshall gave the audience a post-prandial shot in the arm for the second year in a row. “To say she’s back by popular demand is a complete understatement,” said Jackman, followed by loud applause. AT&T was the presenting sponsor of Velocity, the UCLA Anderson Women’s Leadership Summit, whose theme was Empower Together. An enormous component of the company’s generosity was sending Cynt Marshall (and a cheering section of AT&T staff) to represent. Among her prominent colleagues are UCLA Anderson alumni John Stankey (’91), CEO of AT&T Entertainment Group, and Norberta Noguera (Riordan Fellow ’95, FEMBA ’01), vice president of AT&T’s security and advanced applications.

Marshall’s fierce company loyalty far exceeds the requirements of her job, though. She has boundless energy and enthusiasm not just for business and corporate leadership, but for general integrity, human cooperation and core values as well. Her unmistakable message to Anderson MBAs — along with the Girls Scouts, high school students, seasoned industry professionals and academics who also crowded into the auditorium — is to bring your values into your professional environment, do not check your personality at the door.

Was she kicked back a time or two for being herself, for being “loud” as she put it? No question. Marshall once prepared a speech that almost got her fired at a time when some in the company leadership weren’t ready for frank discussions about the obligation to give everyone a place at the table. But she continued to impose her candor and evangelism. “The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but in who we are and what we value,” she said. And now AT&T goes beyond mere “tolerance” to privilege true understanding.

So if any aspiring executive ever needed living proof that persisting in believing in the validity of your ideas and your self-worth moves you forward, the ardent Marshall makes a convincing case. Consider these ingredients — Marshall's two Cynts' worth — for success in work and in life:

“Surround yourself by like-minded people, even if they don’t look like you.” This doesn’t mean homogeny, it means you can gain strength from what you find in common with people committed to inclusion.

“Embrace your ‘firstness.’” Instead of feeling like a simple token representative of your group, tout your achievement as a milestone of progress for any underrepresented person or group.

“HASU: Hook a sister up.” Do you see someone with valid ideas and great skills struggling against gender bias? Speak up for that colleague or friend or stranger.

“Doing something the right way is not the same as doing the right thing.”

“MARC: It stands for men advocating for real change.” Marshall described effective, supportive white male mentors as unthreatened by difference: “They will help you deliver the goods if they want something good for the company.”

“Your integrity is not for sale.” Period.

#Velocity #AndersonWomen

Follow Us:

Keeping the Momentum: Dean Judy Olian Welcomed 400 to the UCLA Anderson Velocity Women’s Leadership Summittag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115710a4d7d970c01b8d25d3185970c2017-02-06T12:41:30-08:002017-02-06T15:26:10-08:00View the full gallery of photos from Velocity By Paul Feinberg “There’s still so much work to be done,” said UCLA Anderson Dean Judy Olian while addressing a standing-room-only Korn Convocation Hall audience at Anderson’s fifth annual Anderson Women’s Leadership Summit. “Work to get us where we should be, need...UCLA Anderson

“There’s still so much work to be done,” said UCLA Anderson Dean Judy Olian while addressing a standing-room-only Korn Convocation Hall audience at Anderson’s fifth annual Anderson Women’s Leadership Summit. “Work to get us where we should be, need to be and aspire to be.” The summit was held February 3, 2017, bringing together more than 400 business leaders, alumni, faculty and students.

Olian opened the conference — whose 2017 theme was Velocity: Empower Together — with remarks that acknowledged the reality women face in the workplace and society, noting that “The higher you look in companies, the fewer women you will see,” and “The United States has slipped to number 45 out of 144 countries in gender equality, down from 28 last year.” She offered positive vibes for the future, pointing out that the United States has closed the education gap and ranks number one in education attainment, and that at UCLA the entering freshman class is 56% women. “There’s a large and growing pool of educated female talent in this country ... and we need to harness the full power of that enormous talent of women,” she said.

In keeping with the theme of Empower Together, Olian said, “It’s a time when positive, strong leadership of women ... and men ... is needed is needed. One thing we can all do is push our female peers forward. The second thing we can do together is educate the men in our lives — our fathers, our partners, our sons, our brothers, our bosses.”